Tag: images

All of my online friends know I am a wildlife photographer and Author. Hubby and I travel quite a lot and visit out of the way places to get close to critters.

What few people realize is I have a day job. For years hubby has asked me to quit my day job and write and photograph full time. I may just do that one day, but not yet. Wildlife photography is expensive. Yes when we travel I skimp on accommodations and meals, but I still have to put gas in the car and film in the cameras and replace equipment from time to time.

When we are on the road I promise hubby one decent meal a day and a bed to sleep in. That means Knights Inn instead of Marriot. Our breakfast id generally served through a drive thru window and lunch might be peanut butter and crackers. However dinner is generally a nice meal.

The income from wildlife photography and writing are sporadic at best. Yes I have sold a single image for $500 dollars. I have also sold an image for $25 which doesn’t cover the cost of getting the image. The latter is much more common and that is why I work part time.

So what does a wildlife photographer do when she is not out in the field? This wildlife photographer is a cosmetic merchandiser. Yep I play with makeup. That means I go into grocery stores and stock their makeup departments. Then I tell the computer what I want it to send to the store and what to stop sending because it isn’t selling.
This job allows me to be done work for the week at noon on Thursdays. This leaves me over 3 days a week, every afternoon and every evening to write, photograph and submit. On our longer trips my boss covers my territory and is very glad to see me when I return.

It’s actually not a bad job, I have had worse. How about you what was your worst job? What was the best job you ever had? I will be back on the road again soon, but I look forward to reading your comments when I return.

Thanks for stopping by.

My work has been published internationally in books, calendars, greeting cards, magazines and newspapers. Sharing my photographs and written words are a way to share my wildlife encounters with others and possibly inspire them to explore their creative side.
My books, Close Ups and Close Encounters, All the birds I see, Clancys Cat Nap and two coloring books based on my images are all available through my website http://www.sjbrown.50megs.com.

Have you ever wondered what goes into a field trip for a wildlife photographer? January is when I plan out large portions of my year. As snow piles up outside Jay and I spread books, maps and the trusted atlas on the dining room table. We have notes from shows we have watched on the public broadcasting station and migration maps as well.

After reviewing all this we pick a direction and plan out one trip at the time. The desired destination dictates if we will be on the road for just a few days or 10. This year’s 10 day trip will have us zig zagging from state to state and spending extra time in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
We budget for things like gas, food and places to stay. While we spend our days in refuges, parks and out of the way places. We need to plan to be in areas that offer food and lodging each night, but still close to the next day’s sunrise destination. I promise Jay one decent meal a day, and a bed to sleep in, anything beyond that is a bonus.

Before we hit the road we stock up on things like film and snacks. All the camera equipment needs to be ready to capture that magic moment when I encounter a critter. Over the years I have accumulated a number of camera bodies and lens’. This year my largest most expensive lens needed to be replaced before we hit the road. The only good thing about this is that it didn’t happen while I was on the road.
We plan out shorter trips as well. Two or three day trips include locations in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. On each of these trips I load the car with two camera bags, a tripod, raincoats, hiking boots, water shoes, and a duffle bag. Jay packs his duffle bag and the cooler. Longer trips require us to find room for additional duffle bags and food. What I may need to grab in a hurry goes in the back seat for easy access.

Over the years we have learned to plan for anything. Weather, traffic accidents, and lack of critters can divert us from our planned route. On a trip to Tennessee we spent very little time in the state. Instead I captured most of my critter images in Kentucky.

While in Main we struck out at our planned destination and traveled another 3 hours north to get shots of a mama moose and her offspring. The rainy conditions in Georgia pushed us to spend an extra day in Florida on another trip.

Wildlife photography is so much more than having a camera and a love of critters. However this is something I am passionate about and I plan to keep doing it for many years to come. Our next trip is just a few weeks away.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you plan a few adventures of your own.

As a wildlife photographer and author I have been traveling extensively throughout the United States for over 15 years. I am always accompanied by my husband and spotter in my pursuit of the next critter encounter.
My work has been published internationally in books, calendars, greeting cards, magazines and newspapers. Sharing my photographs and written words are a way to share my wildlife encounters with others and possibly inspire them to explore their creative side.
My books, Close Ups and Close Encounters, All the birds I see, Clancys Cat Nap and two coloring books based on my images are all available through my website http://www.sjbrown.50megs.com.

Authors are often quoted as having the most amazing imagination but I’m not always sure that’s an instinctive attribute for all writers. Personally speaking, I need a little bit of help to kick start my imagination when I’m writing. Once I get that little extra push, I’m right into the scene and then my characters can take over in their imagined setting.

When I write my contemporary mysteries my imagination is helped by my memories of a place where I want to scene set. In my contemporary mystery Topaz Eyes, I used a number of locations in cities that I’ve visited. When I decided to have one of the ‘cousins’ in the story live in Vienna, Austria, I just had to turn on my memories of central Vienna and the wide open old streets popped up.

Vienna 2002

But I also know that my memories can be fickle and a bit selective so in the interests of accuracy I turned to the internet to give me current photos of where I was thinking of. That little research on the internet was useful when I was writing Topaz Eyesbecause the trams I was seeing in my head were red during my visit in 2002. The current ones in the area I was writing about have been the bright yellow tourist designed ‘Ring Trams’ for some years now. (c. 2010?)

There are still red trams operating on the original tram lines in Vienna but they’re not where my scenes are. After my research on the internet, as I wrote the scene where my main female character Keira was being pursued by her unknown stalker, I was ‘seeing’ her escaping from a bright yellow tram.

In my historical writing it’s not so easy to create visual images for my locations. I want authenticity and credibility in my stories but I can’t look back at photographs of my places to see what that landscape was like 2000 years ago. The contours may be largely the same but the vegetation is unlikely to be similar since recent centuries of farming (since the 18th century) and forestry methods in north east Scotland have altered the original picture. That means I need to seek help from other places.

Scottish Crannog Centre, Loch Tay

I can add things that were already very ancient like standing stone circles of the stone and bronze ages, or stone hillforts, or stone brochs but my imagination definitely has to work a lot harder on things that were made of wood- like Celtic roundhouses and crannogs which have mostly deteriorated to nothing over the millennia.

What helps sometimes with my ‘scene imagining’ for 2000 years ago Scotland is looking at the artwork of some relevant artists like the famous Angus McBride, or from illustrated children’s non-fiction history books of which I still have a large selection! But I need to remember it’s that particular artist’s interpretation. Other artists, archaeologists and historians may interpret things differently. And so do I!

In Book 4 of my Celtic Fervour Series, when writing about my character General Agricola thinking about the Emperor Domitian and the Senate being back in Ancient Rome, I find it a little helpful to look at ancient sculptures. The friezes, and the carved fascias of ancient buildings also give me clues as to what the environment was like. Things my character Agricola is remembering as they were almost 2000 years ago. My visit to Rome last year helps me a bit but of course, what I saw last year is only what has survived and not the Rome of Agricola’s era in all it’s colourful glory.

Virtual imagining processes of ancient places are fabulous and I love to see any that are shared with me on Social Media. Looking at Pompeii, or Portus (the artificial harbour of ancient Rome), or Athens or Ancient Egypt is fascinating.

So, last week, when I saw a FutureLearn course entitled ‘Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City being advertised I just could not resist enrolling. Click the link above, scroll down to the little video window and see what’s on offer. You might like it, too but there’s not much time to enrol since it starts next week, 9th October! (I loved my last year’s FutureLearn course on Hadrian’s Wall’.)

I’m hoping this Rome course will give me some ideas for polishing my character named Agricola a little better, or that it’ll be useful for the next book in the series BUT—most of all I hope that it’ll be fun!

Guess I have to get my head down now and finish my current writing!

What are your thoughts on Virtual imaging? Do you like seeing the way gifted visual imaging creators present these ancient places?

Nancy Jardine writes: Contemporary romantic mysteries; time travel historical for early teens and historical fiction for adults. She’s a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, the Scottish Association of Writers and the Federation of Writers Scotland.

This Blog by Cher’ley Grogg

Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air – explode softly – and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth – boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn’t go cheap, either – not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination. ~Robert Fulghum

Adult Coloring Books who knew they’d catch on like they have.

Do you have an Adult Coloring Book? Have you seen them? I did one year before last for the family. It turned out even better than I expected. So I did another one this year. It is selling pretty well. What’s your thought on Adult Coloring Books?

I have always loved to color. I had fun with my kids, grandkids, and now great grands. There’s an art in coloring. Today people have discovered that it gives stress release I reckon it always has been, sometimes the youngin’s would sit for a long time as they colored page after page. It was a cheap, and creative way to entertain them.

What’s the difference between Adult Coloring Books and children’s coloring books? When I did mine, I looked for images that were a little more intricate. The massive amounts of pelicans feeding against the backdrop of the boat and the foreground of the water intrigued me.

This photo of Del fascinated me because of the reflections in the sunglasses. I thought of them like a puzzle, as the person colored the glasses the reflections would pop out.

I put a lot of thought into each image, would it look good in black and white, would it be challenging and relaxing at the same time?

Like this:

Recently I gave some advice to friend about recovery after surgery, my advice, baby steps, lots and lots of baby steps. No one can recover from surgery overnight. It’s the little improvements, those baby steps that count.

The same can be said about writing. As a writer I didn’t start out writing a book. I began writing essays in school then stepped up to magazine articles before approaching a full length manuscript. Taking baby steps allowed me to improve my writing and my confidence.

As a photographer I didn’t start out photographing large animals in faraway places. I began with birds and squirrels in my backyard

After gaining a bit of confidence I stepped out of my comfort zone, and traveled further in my pursuit of critter photos. I ventured into Maryland and photographed ducks, geese, and swans at a nearby park.

Then it was time for another road trip. This time I headed to Pennsylvania. There I had my first experience getting up close and personal with some captive critters.

Some little critters in New Jersey reminded me that taking baby steps when working around water could have helped you me avoid sinking in mud up to my calves.

In Virginia I learned wild ponies don’t take baby steps.

In Florida I learned taking baby steps backwards can get you safely away from an alligator.

In the 17 years I have been photographing wildlife I have traveled to 2 dozen states. Every time I encounter a new critter I have to remind myself baby steps. Take the shot and use baby steps to get a better angle or a closer vantage point of my subject.

We all take baby steps to advance ourselves in various pursuits. Every once in a while a giant leap of faith may be necessary. The important thing to remember is to keep moving forward.

Thanks for stopping by.

Naturally,

S. J. Brown

Connect with S. J. Brown on Facebook and be one of the first to see what she has been up and view her Sunday Shares.

The car was fully loaded, leaving just enough room for Jay and me.The back seat held a small cooler for drinks, 2 camera bags, 2 duffle bags, and a bag of snacks.In the trunk was a large cooler with food for the next few days, linens, hiking boots, a tote loaded with plate’s cups and silverware, and our coats.

Jay and I were heading north on a 5 day excursion.The trip began with torrential downpours and lots of traffic.Our first stop made it all worth it when we got a chance to hang out with family and have pizza for dinner.

The next morning we were up with the sun and back on the road.Our destination, Michigan was still over 7 hours away.We encountered more rain, more traffic and road construction.Still we managed to arrive in Holland Michigan in time to cruise the downtown area, find an array of tulips and find our cabin before sunset.

Jay and I were heading north on a 5 day excursion.The trip began with torrential downpours and lots of traffic.Our first stop made it all worth it when we got a chance to hang out with family and have pizza for dinner.

The next morning we were up with the sun and back on the road.Our destination, Michigan was still over 7 hours away.We encountered more rain, more traffic and road construction.Still we managed to arrive in Holland Michigan in time to cruise the downtown area, find an array of tulips and find our cabin before we were encompassed by darkness.

We were up were up with the sun and on the hunt for critters to photograph.Thanks to some informative birdwatchers we had a new destination. Just 2 hours away there were Heron, Cranes and several other critters building nests and settling in for a while.As usual local people had the best information and we found some very co operative cranes and their friends.

We returned to our cabin in time to watch the sunset over lake Michigan accompanied by hundreds of people who had the same plan.The following day was filled with black squirrels, geese, ducks, a muskrat, and a stop to tour a working windmill.It was imported from Holland decades ago and they still grind flower there every week.

Our last day was mostly driving toward home.We did stop for a while to see the cranes, and Herons one more time to help break up the trip.

By the time we returned home we had traveled 1822 miles.I had clicked off 17 rolls of film and captured 28 different types of critters.Now I am ready to do it again.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope your days are filled with one happy adventure after another.

Connect with S. J. Brown on Facebook and be one of the first to see what she has been up and view her Sunday Shares.

Life comes with all sorts of highs and lows. Sometimes it’s powerful words that affect you but at other times an image alone can punch you in the gut and bring forth profound emotion.

I had a change to my usual weekly timetable of grandchild minding this past week to accommodate a 400 mile round trip. Sadly, this wasn’t to a wedding like I recently blogged about here on the Wranglers blog but instead it was to go to a family funeral. Living at a distance from both my own and my husband’s siblings and cousins means a bit of travel at such times.

Bill, the man who died, was a genuinely lovely person who touched everyone he met with his kindness and his quiet personality. When he spoke to you, you were the centre of his full attention and always the beneficiary of his positive, cheery focus. Bill was my husband’s female cousin’s husband so it tended, over the decades to be mostly at family gatherings that our paths crossed. Bill was a dedicated Christian and a lifelong elder of his local church but that wasn’t the only faith of his that I’d like to mention today.

He was also a dedicated and committed Scottish nationalist for decades. Being a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP) back in the 1960s and 1970s was quite unusual in Scotland and it took courage and determination to break free of the stranglehold of the ruling political parties—the Labour, Liberal and Conservative parties of the day. Bill was really proud of being Scottish and immensely proud of his country: Scotland becoming an independent country being a lifelong goal of his.

In September 2014, Scotland went to the election booths to decide in a political referendum if we wanted the country to become independent, or if we wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom. Only days before that election Bill and his wife came to me for a brief visit since Bill had business to attend to in the Aberdeen area (not far from where I live). Most of our conversation was a catch up of family matters: the recent wedding of my niece which we’d all attended and the forthcoming wedding of my nephew to which we were all invited. However, while my husband caught up with more family matters with his cousin, I chatted to Bill about our common goal of Scottish independence. It was a memorable conversation because he hadn’t realised that I had also been voting for the SNP party since the mid 1970s.

Sadly, the results of that referendum of September 2014 were a little short of what it will take for Scotland to break free and become independent from the rest of the United Kingdom. Bill was gutted with that 2014 referendum result, as were all of the 44.65% of people like me around Scotland who voted in that referendum FOR an independent country—the turnout to the voting stations unprecedented at 84.6% of eligible voters. A huge surge had been made towards independence but not quite enough.

When I attended Bill’s funeral two days ago, I entered his small local Church of Scotland. Bill’s coffin was placed in the very narrow entrance hall bedecked with beautiful flowers, an instant reminder of why I was there. The service was perfect, the local minister’s knowledge and memories of Bill being intensely personal. I didn’t cry during the service, although I was very moved by the minister’s eulogy.

When we exited the church to progress to the nearest Crematorium for a further service of committal the hearse was parked at the foot of the short flight of entrance steps.

The coffin sat in the vehicle draped with a Saltire flag.

That was when I broke down.

Bill didn’t quite make it to see his lifelong goal of Scottish independence happen but, I vow that when it does, I will toast Bill and people like him who kept the faith for decades. The groundswell of support for Scottish independence has risen since September 2014 and continues to rise.

In my current writing, I’m covering a time of intense upheaval in northern Britannia, the land area that eventually became what we now name Scotland. The desire to remain free of the Ancient Roman Empire when the late iron age tribes were invaded by thousands of Roman soldiers back in AD 84 is a documented fact.Their faith to remain free of Ancient Roman influences was strong, their determination to retain their own customs and religious practices ongoing for a few hundred years and evident in recurrent skirmishes with the legions of ancient Rome which were mentioned in Ancient Roman military historical documents and by Roman writers like Cornelius Tacitus.

I’ve never read references to any sort of image that might have meant ‘freedom’ to my late iron age tribal characters (Celts) but it’s something I’m currently pondering over. Authorial licence might just allow me to invent some visible image like the Saltire flag of the Scottish independence movement.

I wonder if you could suggest a ‘freedom’ image when the era of AD 84 is more than a thousand years before the Hollywood ‘Braveheart’ period.

Has any particular flag or iconic image had the same sort of visceral impact on you?

Have a lovely weekend, whatever you may be doing.

(p.s. I’m hoping that my next post in a couple of weeks will be written in California, U.S. since I’ve a wedding to attend over there. Look forward to some travel info from Nevada, Utah and Pasadena.)

Nancy Jardine finds all historical eras totally fascinating: research a delightful procrastination! Her week is taken up with grandchild-minding, gardening, reading, writing and blogging. Catching up with historical programmes or TV series and watching the news is a luxury – as are social events with friends and family but she does a creative job to squeeze them in.

Like this:

Many people mourn the passing of summer, not me. During the hot days of summer I photograph very little. The critters hide deep in the woods to find shelter from the heat. Those that are accessible are not in the mood to pose for me.

Of course there are some exceptions like the hummingbirds that buzz around my back deck and the butterflies that frequent the butterfly bush in the front yard. Also I can’t forget the bunny rabbits and ground hogs that steadily raided my veggie garden all summer long. We have an arrangement, I feed them they let me take their pictures.

This time of year I am putting away my shorts, pulling out long sleeve shirts and picking lots of goodies from the garden. It’s time to wrap up my summer projects and put lots of bulbs in the ground, so I will be greeted with spring flowers when the warm weather returns.

Most summer travelers are safely back at home. So there are fewer cars on the roads, less traffic means more traveling for me. The cooler nights that signal fall is on the way also signals migrating birds its time to go. I need to get as many images of migrating birds as I can before they are gone. Raptors will be gathering in groups and kettling (flying in circular groups), Monarch butterflies will begin their trip to Mexico and Starlings will be invading buildings and trees in large groups.

Black Bears will be bulking up for winter. In areas where they find an abundance of food I can get a little closer for some great images. However areas where food is scarce Bears tend to be a bit grumpy and aren’t thrilled with the idea of having their picture taken.

Soon the colors of fall will be providing me with great backgrounds for my critter shots. I will be doing more hiking, and a bit more exploring in new areas. What will you be doing to celebrate the arrival of fall?

It has been a year since I joined the writers, wranglers, and warriors group. For those that have followed along I have introduced myself, shared my images and my opinions. I try to keep my posts upbeat and visually stimulating. I hope everyone has enjoyed getting to know me as much as I have enjoyed getting to know all of you.

As a wildlife photographer I love what I do. Getting close to wild creatures and recording that moment is awesome. Spending time outdoors enjoying Mother Nature is also a great part of what I do. Another part of what I do that I love is Sharing. Sharing my images, sharing my knowledge, sharing my experiences with others.

A local high school teacher encouraged me to share with her students many years ago. This opened the door for me to share my love of nature with students of all ages. Elementary school children want to tell me their wildlife story as much as they want to hear mine Middle school and High school students want to hear scary stories like if I have ever been attacked by a bear.

One memorable high student was so inspired by my talk he ran home and located his mothers camera. He was excited about the prospect of connecting with wild critters and recording the image. He decided to start in his own back yard since he didn’t have a car.

He quickly discovered he was scared to death of wild animals. But he loved the feel of the camera in his hand and the idea of capturing an image to share. So when we met again at a book signing he was experimenting with photographing interesting flowers, colorful scenic shots and unusual people. Everyone has to experiment a bit before they find their nitch.

By sharing I helped that student discover a love of photography. I have peaked the interest in nature in more than one attendee at my presentations. I am able to introduce some to the local art word and the opportunities they pose. I share my images so others can get a close up view of critters they may never see in the wild.

Hopefully I inspire others both young and old to to pursue what they love. It doesn’t matter if you write, photograph, paint, sketch or run a successful business we can all share a little of ourselves and help others along the way.

My books are a way for me to share with those that can’t attend one of my talks. Images I sell to magazines and calendar companies also allow me to share my images and love of nature. Although I think I donate as many as I sell. I am not that business savvy, but I do manage to continue to do what I love and share that love with others.

Warning signs are present in all our lives. Mothers warn their children all the time “I’m warning you”. When you see a dark black sky that is a warning sign that a storm is moving in. When I am traveling there are warning signs everywhere. A no left turn sign warns me not to turn left here, or I may get a ticket. Additional signs let me know when there is construction, bumps in the road, things might get icy or fall on me.

Now that warm weather has finally arrived more people will be venturing out to enjoy nature. The lives of wildlife are full of warning signs also. When our two worlds meet we need to be able to read the signs.

Most animals will warn an opponent before attacking. The way to stay safe in their territory is to know the warning signs and watch for them. The number one rule when you are out exploring nature is never, never, never get between a mother and her babies. Mama may not warn you to move on. Her first instinct is to protect her young.

Even those who know little about wildlife know that when a rattle snake rattles its tail, this is a warning sign and you better back off .

Before embarking on a trip south I researched alligator behavior. An alligator will hiss and, or open their mouth as a warning sign. Of course when I was face to face with a large alligator I couldn’t remember their warning signs or how far an alligator can lung forward.

Deer will snort and stomp its foot to warn others of danger. They also raise their tail to signal other deer. Male deer known as Bucks will warn an opponent to back off by lowering their antlers in the opponents direction.

Before heading out to photograph some wild ponies I needed to know what to look for. I now know that it’s not good when their ears are tucked back. Many other animals share this behavioral trait, so watch for it.

Some animals will puff themselves up to make themselves appear larger to scare off an intruder. This is your first warning sign. Any animal that shows its teeth has little tolerance for you. It doesn’t matter if they are large or small those teeth are sharp and can cause a quite a bit of harm. So go out enjoy the great outdoors, pay attention to warning signs and come back safe. Thanks for stopping by to hear my thoughts on warning signs.

Have you ever been warned to back off, by an animal? What happened?

Two new fun releases by S. J. Brown are due out later this month. Connect with her on Facebook and be one of the first to see what she has been up to. Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/sj.brown.3367